Concerns raised over how quickly CCTV cameras at Lagan Valley Island could provide PSNI with potentially life-saving footage
Emergency incidents at the River Lagan have called into question the ability of a council’s CCTV system to engage with the police.
Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council’s recent corporate committee signed off on its new draft security camera policy for facilities across the district.
However, concerns were raised over how quickly the 24-hour cameras at Lagan Valley Island civic centre could provide the PSNI with potentially life-saving footage.
Alderman Paul Porter said: “We are head to head as a building with the River Lagan.
“If in the middle of the night the police came because they felt somebody jumped in or there was an incident, how quickly can we turn around an image to them? I just want to make sure with the new policy we are not going backwards, but forwards.
“A lot of the time it can happen over the weekends or in the middle of the night, when there could be security personnel here [Lagan Valley Island].
“Police could turn up at a live incident, they shouldn’t have to wait three or four hours for the relevant information, because there have been previous incidents sadly and that is why I am bringing this matter forward.”
Councillor Nicholas Trimble added: “I see from the policy that we will only be recording video and not audio or any other information captured.
“Where and for how long would this data be held by the council?”
A council officer responded: “In terms of an incident on this site, we are well prepared for those types of emergencies, because they have occurred in the past, so we have experience in that.
“The recorded footage could be handed over quite quickly in a matter of a couple of hours.
“However, I can certainly look at the system and see if something was to happen in the middle of the night, how quickly we could rewind and how far back. I will come back to you on this.
“The data will be held onsite at Lagan Valley Island. Policy will dictate how long we hold particular data, if we need to hold on to it longer we need to ask for approvals.”